Perfect
by Cookie-chi
Summary: That's how everyone saw him...He was perfect. But, what was she? .Fluff. .NejiHina. .Hyuugacest. Don't like, don't read.


**Perfect**

_**A/N I think this is just about the lamest thing I've ever written… I've been out of it for some time, so I wanted to write a little oneshot to get me back into the swing of things n.n**_

_**At first I was gonna write some SasuHina or SasuSaku….Bu-ut, oh well! Enjoy!!**_

OOOOO

She sat by a large lake just outside the Hyuuga grounds; the sun was beginning to set behind the hills, its last shimmers of light gently reflecting on the water's surface. A slender fingertip created a ripple in the calm waters, before it began to create a figure of eight. Hinata's pale eyes watched her finger, and the clear waters. She could see the fish swimming beneath so clearly. Hinata could see so many things that other people couldn't, but at the same time, there were so many things she couldn't see or understand… One on which had been plaguing her mind for a long time now.

His name was Hyuuga Neji.

They had spent so much time apart…and his first words to her after a year…well, never would she have expected him to say something like that….

OOOOO

He stood alone, he fought alone, and somehow he seemed OK with this. He was OK with this isolation, he felt comfortable to never smile in the presence of another, never smiling, never crying, never trembling…never showing any signs of human emotion.

Perhaps there was the odd wince of pain, brought back from a mission that was able to show some humanity on his face, but other than that… Neji almost seemed like an immortal among the rest of Konoha, or at least, after many years, this was what Hinata had concluded. She would remind herself of his difference, so she wouldn't feel so upset when he ignored her or quickly scooted past her; because, he did that to everyone. It was simply in his nature.

Nevertheless, she couldn't help feeling a small tug at her heart, he used to be so…._normal_, when he was a child, he would smile and laugh and play with the other children. And much to Hinata's dismay, he had changed into something different, much colder, and although he was sorry for hurting her, he would never truly change back to what he once was, nor would he actually ever say that word; 'sorry'. That anger, that sadness, it would always own a part of him, and his pride told him to hold onto it, so he would never have to be vulnerable to emotional pain again.

Again, these were all just assumptions. And Hinata worried, that perhaps she spent far too much time pondering on her cousin's mannerisms.

She spent so much time in her own thoughts, that it had managed to get her suspended from missions for a long period of time. Too much daydreaming; and not enough getting the job done. She sighed to herself, feeling like a failure, and the worst part was that everyone else saw her as that failure too… She knew she had knowledge and strength, but applying it was another matter all together, in training she was powerful… But as soon as she saw the face of a malice stranger, heading towards her with a murderous intent, she simply crumpled. She didn't want to hurt people; she wanted to protect.

Hinata was thankful she had learnt Kaiten in order to protect herself and her comrades; it had been Neji's doing to teach her that technique, and although he'd been asked to do it by her father, she still felt as though she owed him something. He was a person she wanted to protect, protect him from his own pessimism maybe. She wanted to show him the good things in life and make him smile like he used to, but her foolish dreams were all in vain.

The last time they had spoken to one another was during her training, and that was almost a year ago.

He wouldn't talk to her, nor would he talk to anyone else.

However, he had said something to her on their last night of training, something that had made her start thinking about him so much in the first place.

She remembered it clearly, she was covered in dirt, panting. The only way she was still able to stand was by holding her knees. From the corners of her eyes, she waited to see Neji's disapproval…It was the 5th month of her training, and she was 16 years of age, Hanabi was 14 when she learned the technique, she had learned it in the space of two months. Neji was about 10 when he had learnt it, and he had been able to teach it to himself.

Again, she felt worthless.

Her heart managed to slam into her ribcage when she noticed he was smiling at her. Had she really done it?

"Hinata-sama….That was perfect." He said bluntly, and she couldn't stop the smile forming on her face, no-one has ever called her perfect before, even if it was only the technique that was perfect about her, it was still something abut her, it was still something that made her feel on top of the world.

Although her legs were weak, his words seemed to unleash a hidden strength in her, and soon she had run over to his side, and embraced him.

That was the first time Neji had ever been embraced.

"Thank you," She said quietly, she felt so content holding him there, she forgot about their differences, about his isolation. His words… they had the same affect that Naruto's had in the chuunin exams. Quickly she blushed, how could she possibly relate the two? The knuckle-head and the prodigy, her crush and her cousin?

Before she could think about it anymore, Neji's warmth had left her, and she found herself standing alone, it seemed Neji had managed to worm himself out of her hold, and instantly her spirits dropped once more.

"You, should be proud." Was all he said, and the fact that he said it so _awkwardly_ really raised the tension in the training grounds. Stiffly, he managed to move his legs and walk away. And since that moment, he had never uttered another word to her.

She had bumped into him enough times after that, but he would either ignore her, or on the rare occasions when no-one else was around, he would almost utter something, and then either stop himself, or get interrupted by someone else.

'What was he going to say?' Hinata constantly wondered; it seemed as though he really wanted to say whatever it was. But, he never did…

OOOOO

In the compound, all the children were aiming to be like Neji, his strength and lack of emotions were apparently something to aspire to. Honestly, Hinata didn't like the idea of being emotionless, of course it was handy if you had to kill someone, but life was supposed to be about living, not killing.

In her absence from missions, Hinata had almost decided to give up her ninja ways, and focus on a path like Sakura's and Ino's…maybe she would make a good medic nin…

But then, she saw her father's angry face in her mind, telling her what a disappointment she was, and instantly, she withdrew that previous thought.

Neji had also thought about a new route it seemed, and soon enough he'd joined ANBU. In normal circumstances, Hyuuga's of the branch family were not allowed to join ANBU, simply because they were supposed to be protecting the Main house. And they could hardly do that when they were away for months at a time. But of course, Neji wasn't like the others; he was…gifted. Hinata knew it as well as the others did. As he went away for months at a time, the Heiress actually found herself missing him, and thinking about him as soon as she woke up, and as she went to sleep at night. When he would come back, they still wouldn't talk, she would be so curious about him, wanting to ask where he had been and what he had done, she couldn't ever read it on his face, she only knew small things by eyeing up his body and looking for scars or wounds.

It was true that she wanted them to be close again, and that was hard to achieve when he was always away and out of sight. But that tattoo on his arm was practically giving him the freedom Hinata knew he craved, and so she didn't dare complain. It was the Main Houses fault that he had the mark of a caged bird, so, she felt she owed it to him, to let him have the mark of a free spirit.

He watched her train when he wasn't away; at first it felt awkward. She could see him in the corners of her eyes as he simply sat and watched her, she didn't know why he did it and she desperately wanted to ask, but she never did as her shyness would always overtake, and of course, the simple fact that hearing his voice felt so awkward, she hadn't heard it for almost a year…

Naruto was always the centre of her thoughts, he was what she wanted to aim for, but as Neji began to take up the space in her mind, she continued to worry…. Why was she thinking about him more? Why was she always watching him, and why was he always doing the same?

She could've sworn, that as she slept at night she could feel a warmth against her, and someone's breath on her neck. But as she opened her eyes there was no one there, just an indentation in her sheets, as though someone had been lying there next to her.

For a while, she thought she was going insane…it was like she was trapped in a bubble of her own thoughts, it felt like she wasn't even real. Sometimes, her kunai would have to pierce her porcelain-like skin just to tell her that she and this world she was in were real.

Hinata decided, no matter what, she would stay wide-awake one night, she would close her eyes but her mind would still stay open to the world. She wanted to know if there was really anyone there. Occasionally the wind would blow and the curtains would rustle, and this alone would startle the Hyuuga girl, she'd jolt up and open her eyes, but still…. no one would be there.

By now she was used to the curtains and the wind stirring her, but as she heard her door sliding open, she felt like this was her chance to find out the truth. It took all her strength not to open her eyes and just lay there as though she were lost in slumber. Next, she heard footsteps, and a time ago, she would've wished Naruto would creep into her room and embrace her, tell her that she meant something, and comfort her within Hyuuga walls that had never approved of her.

But now, she secretly wished it was Neji, and secretly, she wished he would just open his mouth and say anything to her. Secretly, she missed his voice.

The bed moved, and now she was certain that there was another body next to her, she could feel the steady breathing tickler her neck, she could smell the scent of dirt and sweat, it was defiantly Neji… The smell of Neji after a brutal mission was one she could never forget.

"Hinata-sa…Hinata," He whispered, leaving behind the honorific and thinking she was still asleep. Inside she was screaming, with panic because in truth, she barely knew her cousin, she just knew he was a cold-blooded killer, but also in joy, because she was finally able to hear his voice once more. She wanted to shiver when his hand slipped under to duvet and held her, as though he needed her.

"You're perfect."

This time, her eyes could not help but open, and it was as if he could hear that, because his body suddenly grew taut against her. She turned in her place so that she was now facing him, and even in the dark, she could see the wounds, the tears falling from his eyes, the dirt smudged across his cheeks.

The man who stood so proudly, the man who needed no one was next to her, needing her.

The caged bird that had finally been set free was begging to fall from grace, right in front of her very eyes.

He was falling, and he fell. He fell next to her, next to a bird that had never even begun to fly in the first place.

"Neji-niisan…am I…am I really…?" His hand caressed her face as his eyes got lost in hers, never in her life, had she seen such emotion on his face, such affection…. and, it was all for her? She truly meant something to someone; someone finally acknowledged her. And…maybe even, loved her…

"Perfect?" He asked, and silently she nodded, she wanted to know if anyone needed her, even if it was just one person it would make her feel complete, even if it was her ever-silent cousin, it would still make her feel whole.

"Yes." He uttered.

"Absolutely Perfect."

OOOOOENDOOOOO

_**A/N Please don't kill me for the lame and OOCness!! And I'm sorry if it makes no sense and there's no proper plot! Uhhhhmmm…yeah, that's all I have to say… Remember to R&R! **_

_**Ja ne!!!**_


End file.
